Luigi Einaudi

Luigi Einaudi (24 March 1874-30 October 1961) was President of Italy from 12 May 1948 to 11 May 1955, succeeding Enrico De Nicola and preceding Giovanni Gronchi. He was a member of the Italian Liberal Party.

Biography
Luigi Einaudi was born in Carru, Piedmont, Italy in 1874, and he graduated from Turin University before serving there as a professor of economics from 1902 to 1948. In 1908, he became editor of the Riforma sociale, and he began writing for the newspapers La stampa and Corriere della sera. As an economist, he fell foul of Benito Mussolini's regime for attacking not only communist, but also fascist economics. As a result, he was forced to emigrate to Switzerland in 1943. He returned to liberated Italy in 1944 and became president of the national bank, the Banca d'Italia. Through his liberal economic policies in this position and as Budget Minister under Alcide De Gasperi, he made a substantial contribution to the stabilization of the lire, for which he is best remembered. In 1948, he was the first to be elected to the largely ceremonial post of President of the Republic. At the end of his term in 1955, he became a Life Senator, and he died in 1961.